


All Things Bright and Beautiful

by Aphidity



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Comfort, Elephants, Fluff, Introspection, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 08:53:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13854330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aphidity/pseuds/Aphidity
Summary: Cosmos and Soundwave take an Earth evening off to reflect and recover.





	1. All Creatures Great and Small

**Author's Note:**

> I first posted this on my tumblr as a drabble. This is a slightly expanded and polished-up version. Comments very much appreciated! :)

“So,” Cosmos murmured as he leaned back. “Tell me more about them.”

 _Tck. Tck. Tck. Tck._ Soundwave’s digit idly tapped at green cladding. Cosmos didn’t mind, not when the idle rhythm was so soothing. The arms around him were firm, but the field embracing him was relaxed.

“They stay in social units, based by relation. Some live alone and wander. They live long, for an Earth species. They see much, and learn, and teach their children. They remember,” another tap, “for a long, long time.”

“Fascinating,” Cosmos murmured. He shifted even further back when an inquisitive trunk came probing at the latches of his mouthguard. It felt very odd. He didn’t expect something strong and dextrous to be so soft as well. The fine hairs tickled over his jaw-latch, accompanied by whuffs of warm air. Cautiously, he reached out and settled his servo on a smooth tusk. The elephant didn’t appear to mind very much, tapping on his mouthguard in response. “I don’t suppose they take very well to strangers?”

“Usually, no. But they can be curious.” Yup, this one sure was. The trunk was back, this time swiping right across Cosmos’ visor in broad sweeps. Cosmos gently batted it away with the back of his servo, but it came right back, determined to finish mapping his visor. He sighed and allowed the herd member to finish its interrogation of his helm. More of the herd milled about in the background, looking over with mild interest. Dear Primus. Cosmos hoped that they wouldn’t decide to all take a turn at trunk-mapping him.

Soundwave’s field bubbled with amusement. Cosmos snorted back at him.

The licks of amusement against his sensors intensified. A dry side-eye showed a red visor practically glowing with unrepentant laughter.

Despite his feigned irritation, Cosmos couldn’t help but savour the melding of their electromagnetic fields. After so long of nothing but the empty ache of deep space, another Cybertronian’s EMF felt divine on his mag-sensors. Despite his famous reticence, Soundwave’s field was wonderfully open and expressive around the little Autobot.

Cosmos let his own EMF warm with spark-deep appreciation.

How wonderful it was, here on Earth. It was warm, comfortably sunny, and Cosmos had extended his solar panels to make the most of it. Not the extremes of space, the chill of the void and blaze of re-entry. And the weather was charming! Rains and breezes and snows, all in one tiny planet. He was familiar with the globally controlled climate of terraformed Cybertron, of course. That made the discovery of multiple, wildly different and unique biomes, all capable of sustaining life, even more amazing.

The lonely radio-echoes of space were blessedly banished to the past as well. His audials were always filled with ambient noise ever since he landed. Scrapings and screechings and scurryings, all signs of the exuberant little lifeforms surrounding him on this planet. The cities hummed with the bustle of their inhabitants and rumble of vehicles. Even out here on the savannah, the golden grasses rustling in the wind sounded like songs.

Cosmos rested his helm back in the crook of Soundwave’s arm as the elephant finally ceased further probing in favour of snuffling the tapedeck behind him in greeting. The presence of his lover didn’t hurt either, Cosmos had to admit.

Soundwave was the one who had called him out of his orbit and down to Earth. Down to this planet of little wonders, where the strut-deep ache of space travel had slowly melted away, where _life_ sprang strong and unfettered around him. The warmth of the sun wicked through his solar panels and glowed in his spark.

Cosmos would always be meant for the vastness of space, but thinking small wasn’t so bad after all.


	2. All Things Wise and Wonderful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soundwave has thoughts as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I went full-on schmoop with this one. You can't stop me!  
> As usual, comments are vastly appreciated.

Cosmos had tucked his solar panels away long ago, but he didn’t seem inclined to move. Evening sunlight pooled lazily around them, as the sky turned gold and pink and deep blue. Soundwave was content to stay and watch the sun set with his digits interlaced with Cosmos’. For a rare, precious moment, he could forget the unforgiving task list lined up on his HUD. For a rare, precious moment, he was allowed to not be the competent commune leader. The microstresses on his struts and processor fled in the alien calm of an Earth evening.

“Isn’t it strange, how the sun looks larger than at noon?”

Soundwave tilted his head towards Cosmos’ murmur, leaning his cheekspar affectionately on top of the shuttle’s helm. “The sun remains the same distance away from the planet through its rotation. It is an effect of optical illusions.”

“Well, yes, I _knew_ that. But it’s still…strange to me. I’m not used to it, not after so long in space. It’s different there, like-” Cosmos raised his servoes in an aborted gesture, then clenched them in an attempt to grasp after an elusive idea. This close together, Soundwave could feel the grinding of concepts and emotions, too difficult to capture and imprison in words. Then came a vacuum, as Cosmos abandoned that train of thought in frustration.

No, that would not do. The shuttle had spent an eternity watching his words, thoughts, _self_ be swallowed by vast silence. Soundwave wouldn’t allow that to continue even here on Earth, in his sanctuary.

He couldn’t probe deeper into Cosmos’ thoughts, not without an invitation and some very careful negotiation. But he could pull the little Autobot closer and push encouragement into his field, until he could feel their sparks thrum and his mag-sensors strained from the tremendous effort to field-project. “I hear you, sparklight.”

The warm gush of Cosmos’ happiness was all the reward he needed, and he hoarded this moment of perfection close to his spark like a miser.

Response came slowly, as Cosmos wrestled his thoughts into form, those musings that he had never put into words simply because there had been nobody to listen. But now Soundwave was here to listen (did he not excel at that?), and the tapedeck waited patiently for the words that would come.

“It’s that- Out there, in space, you don’t really get to sit back and watch things move, y’know? You gotta have the map of whatever galaxy or star system you’re in, and watch the co-ordinates when travelling, and update the log with wherever the destination is while researching the weather conditions and terrain of the planet you’re landing on. It’s a million things going on at once. No chance to sit back and watch the rotation cycle of a planet.”

Soundwave watched as Cosmos paused to draw a deep in-vent.

“I mean, towards the end, when the war kind of tailed off into a stalemate and everything was a mess, there was more time to chase comets and visit different systems, but it’s different from so far away. Like the stars.” A red servo reached up and swept across the sky. Soundwave tracked the gesture, looking up. Darkness ate its way through the dying streak of sunlight, leaving the skeleton of a moon and a smear of faint star sparkle. Despite the strain on his cervical struts, Soundwave felt a weight was lifted off his processor. All the sundry details and finicky plans regarding the running of the Sanctuary could be relegated to a lower priority queue, leaving more processor space to contemplate the silent expanse overhead.

Before this, he would have considered this an idle waste of precious time. But listening to Cosmos made him feel like he had achieved something anyway.

“Like constellations. Star maps are completely different here on Earth. So many things are different, here on Earth. Like Cygnus! I've heard at least three different stories built around it. Imagine that! Different cultures telling different stories, but all are seeing the same stars. I find that amazing. It's- It's touching.”

Soundwave didn't comment on the choked knot at the end of the sentence. “We had constellations too, back on Cybertron.”

“Yeah, but not like _this_. It was all mapping and coordinates and frequencies and logs. It’s been so long since I could step back from all the fiddly parts and see the whole. From here, I’m small and the skies are _huge_ , but somehow that makes it alright. I _like_ being small, with something vast up there to look up to and dream.” The little Autobot twisted around and pinned him with an earnest blue visor. “I’m glad I could see this here. I’m glad I could be here with humans, the other bots, even those in the sanctuary. I’m glad I could be here with you.”

What could Soundwave say to that?

He curled in further around this wonderful mech, around his sparkmate and his own galaxy, and dreamt along.

 


End file.
